Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday online and at the Target Center box office as Kevin Love prepares to make his return to Minneapolis for the first time since being traded to Cleveland in the offseason

Maxx Williams’ amazing touchdown against Missouri in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on Thursday was his last as a Gophers football player. Williams made it official Friday afternoon, announcing he will forego his final two years of college eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.

This year marks the first time in 53 years that the University of Minnesota has played in a New Year’s Day bowl game. Despite the Gophers’ loss to the University of Missouri at the Citrus Bowl Thursday, WCCO wondered what benefit Minnesota gets for being in a big-time bowl game.

It was the first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962 for the Minnesota Gophers, and fans packed sports bars to cheer on their team in the Citrus Bowl. In the video above, Kylie Bearse spent the day with Gopher fans who are still optimistic even after their loss to Mizzou.

Marcus Murphy ran for 159 yards, Russell Hansbrough added 114 yards and a touchdown and No. 16 Missouri beat Minnesota 33-17 on Thursday in the Citrus Bowl. Missouri (11-3) won its third straight bowl game to reach 11 victories for the fourth time in school history.

While Gopher fans focus on Thursday’s bowl game, Governor Mark Dayton is thinking ahead to next season. The governor doesn’t want the Gophers starting any more home games before noon. In fact, he’d like to see a law in Minnesota making those early starts illegal.

Having lost its three most recent games leading into Christmas break, Purdue was greeted in its first post-holiday practice by a routine of painful wall sits, mixed with sprints to the opposite baseline.

Twin Cities restaurants are gearing up for the Citrus Bowl. Even though the game is in Orlando, Fla., Buffalo Wild Wings regional manager Sue Benson said the Gopher team excitement should help restaurants gain many customers on New Year’s Day.

When Minnesota coach Jerry Kill came back from a leave of absence sooner than expected, everyone took notice. Last year, after a bout with epileptic seizures forced Kill to miss an entire game for the first time in his career, he appeared in the locker room at Northwestern to give the Gophers a surprise pep talk.

After a big win over Nebraska Monday night, the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team got a weekly honor Tuesday from the Big Ten Conference. Amanda Zahui B., a sophomore center, was named the league’s Player of the Week.

It’s down to business for the Gophers football squad. The University of Minnesota team is on the ground in Orlando, Florida ahead of its Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl matchup with Missouri. The Gophers were headed to a high school field Friday for a 75-minute practice.